Barcelos Bakery expands into new space

Barcelos Bakery owners Antonio and Sara Rodrigues have realized their dream of expanding their business.

Linda Murphy Lifestyle Editor @HNFastFood

After two years of work, Barcelos Bakery owners Antonio and Sara Rodrigues have realized their dream of expanding their business.

And they didn’t have far to move to do so. Three and half years ago, the couple bought the former Ventura’s Pharmacy, which was attached to the Bedford Street bakery, originally with the intention of having the parking space for their customers. But before long, they started to think about expanding into the space.

Like everything they’ve done since they purchased Barcelos in 2004, they took things slowly and worked on it over time, making sure it was right for them and their customers, said Sara Rodrigues. “I don’t want to do anything that will disappoint our customers,” she said.

Her husband Tony, the cook and baker in the family, did much of the work on the former pharmacy himself including installing new tiles and flooring. “People love it,” said Sara Rodrigues last week as customers came up to her to congratulate her and Tony and praise the new space. “I think Fall River needs this and I’m really proud that it turned out this good.”

The expansion has doubled the seating in the bakery, giving their steady flow of regular customers and new customers more space to sit back and relax over a pastry and espresso, or one of their classic European sandwiches. There’s also four tables outside for the warmer days ahead.

And with their usual approach at taking things slowly and growing at a pace that they feel comfortable with, the Rodrigues haven’t changed the menu much, except to add a few salad offerings and fruit and yogurt cups. Tony also started making cheesecakes with a mouth-watering selection that includes mocha, strawberry, pumpkin, and apple caramel. And last week, they started serving ice cream.

And with case upon case of pastries made on the premises by Tony, customers have more than enough to choose from including classic Portuguese custard cups, as well as creme horns, Napoleons, and fresh cream pastries and cakes.

Open every day from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Rodrigues said their original intention with the bakery was to have place where customers could come in on Sunday afternoons to enjoy a pastry, as they do back in Europe on Sundays. But now, the couple who met while they were working at a bakery in New Bedford are so busy running the business, they never have time to sit down on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy a pastry break. They even have their teenaged daughters, Sara and Nichole helping out at the family business from time to time.

Eventually, Rodrigues said she would like to introduce what they call back home in Portugal “a working man’s lunch.” Every day the bakeries in her native Portugal offer a special hot meal such as steak with an egg and fries, or a chicken or fish dish. “In a perfect world, that’s what I’d like to do in the future. Not a menu, but a dish of the day,” she said.

For now, customers looking for a savory bite to eat have plenty to choose from among their sandwiches including Portuguese steak (bifana); marinated pork (caciola); chourico and peppers, tuna with Portuguese spices, and proscuitto and Sao George cheese. Sandwich ao coresco (goat cheese and red peppers) is a new offering. “I wanted to keep everything Portuguese,” said Sara Rodrigues.